


COUNTER

by PrincipalCellist



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Atem is in a band LOL, Bisexual Yugi, Complicated Relationships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Gay Atem, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Puzzleshipping, Slight Yugi/Ryou but only in the beginning, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Straight Anzu, Straight Jou, endgame is Yugi with--, slight Yugi/Anzu - I won't explain. You have to read it to Get It, the unspoken flaws of soulmate identifiers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26404168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincipalCellist/pseuds/PrincipalCellist
Summary: If a clock could count down to the very moment you met your soulmate, would you want to know? Manufactures of theCounterclaim that it is, in fact, possible. The next evolutionary step in computer matchmaking, the Counter lets you know when your perfect match has entered your life.Based off the movie TiMER.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler & Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	1. Blank Face

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I originally posted this story on FanFiction in 2015 and now I'm rewriting it and posting it here. I've kind of been having a terrible time getting myself motivated to do...well, _anything_ lately - especially with my writing. And it's not that I don't want to write, because I do! But every time I open up my documents, I end up just staring at my screen and drawing a blank. So when in doubt, RE-EDIT! It's good to give your mind a break when you need it! Creating is hard!
> 
> Even if you read the original story, this is worth reading again because I changed it. The ending is brand-spanking new, baby! A lot of people didn't like that it didn't have a happy ending, and you know what? _THEY'RE RIGHT._ I thought I was being clever by not having a happy ending. I thought I was being _superior._ I was wrong. Like, the main reason I even like reading and writing fanfics is because everything always works out in the end, no matter how tough things get! I'm sure I'm not the only one.
> 
> So I sincerely hope you all read this and enjoy it! And keep smiling! :)

Yugi inserted quarter after quarter into the parking meter, feeling anticipation flutter up from his stomach. He counted the time on the meter with each quarter in his head: _12 minutes, 24 minutes, 36, 48…_ He paused, another coin poised in his fingers, ready to be dropped into the slot. He was sure 48 minutes would be enough time; installation never took long as it was a fairly fast process. Most of the time was filled up by the paperwork. But what if… _Well, just in case,_ he thought, allowing the final quarter to fall through the opening. An hour should be more than enough.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Hey! Am I late?"

"Ryou!" Yugi greeted with a smile, turning toward the man who'd just stepped up behind him. "No, not at all! Have you _ever_ been?"

"Well, once," Ryou admitted with a mischievous smile. "But who's keeping track, right?"

Yugi laughed and they shared a brief hug.  
"Are you ready?" He asked, nearly bouncing on his heels.

"Uh—" Ryou gave the building near them an apprehensive look, taking in all the glaringly joyful posters of smiling couples that were plastered on the windows. "Actually…about this…"

 _Uh, oh._ "Ryou, you like me, don't you?" Yugi asked.

"Of course!" He looked shocked that he might've thought otherwise.

"I like you, too." He placed a hand on the other's shoulder comfortingly. "But what's the point in continuing if we're not actually meant to be together?"

"Yes, I agree that it would save us quite a bit of heartbreak to find out sooner rather than later, but…" Another skeptical glance.

"This is the only way we'll have a guarantee."

Ryou was quiet for a moment before shaking himself out of his thoughts.  
"Yes. You're absolutely right, as always." He smiled at Yugi and nodded. "Lead the way."

"Cool," Yugi nodded back and took his hand confidently.

 _This is it._ Today was the day. Yugi _knew_ he and Ryou were good together. He could feel it in his bones.

They walked toward the building. There were big red letters over the glass doors, announcing _"COUNTER"_ to the public. The inside was a pristine white that almost hurt Yugi's eyes. Accents of the same red from the sign were placed here and there; red chairs next to white tables, red writing on posters, red shelves stacked full of informational pamphlets. In the center of the room was a long white counter that had a few computers where the staff - Matchmakers, they were called - waited to help potential customers. Grinning couples stared at them from the posters on the walls, all perfectly matched, their happily ever afters frozen in time - proof of the Counter's success.

"Oh, Yugi!" A fair-skinned, dark-haired Matchmaker called, waving excitedly. "Is this another potential?"

Yugi winced. Emma was nice, but it was embarrassing to be on a first-name basis with a Matchmaker.  
"Hello," he smiled. "This is Bakura Ryou. My boyfriend."

"It is so good to meet you!" Emma gushed, shaking Ryou's hand enthusiastically. "So! You're ready to take the dive, huh?"

"I'm nervous, but yes. Absolutely."

"I know it's cliche, but take deep breaths," she suggested. "It really does help." She clicked a few things on a computer and gathered up a stack of paperwork, jerking her head to the side, indicating them to follow her. "You came at a good time, it's never busy this time of day - but I'm sure you already knew that." She winked at Yugi. "You guys can come to the back with me right away and we'll get everything sorted." 

As they followed her through the door and down a hallway, Ryou bent over slightly to whisper in Yugi's ear, "So, uh, how many times have you been here?"

"Uh, well…" He blushed. "This is the third time." He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it. "I've ridden the wrong horse a couple of times."

"Here we are," Emma said brightly, pushing open a door and revealing a room that looked similar to a doctor's office. "You can sit there," she added to Ryou, nodding at the exam table next to the wall. "I'm going to need to see your identification."

Ryou pulled his driver's licence out of his wallet and handed it over before taking a seat on the table. Yugi sat in the chair beside it.

Emma started to enter Ryou's information into her computer.  
"So how long have you two been dating?" She asked.

"About three months."

"That's about the time most people come in," she said with a nod. "It's the point where things might start getting serious, so it's best to come here and know for sure before you waste time. I once saw a couple come in here after dating for only two weeks - they were mad for each other."

"Did they zero out?" Yugi wondered.

Emma shook her head sadly. "They ended up staying as hook-up buddies since neither of them would meet their match for another few years." She paused, eyes wide. "Whoa! You're 26? How come you haven't gotten a Counter before?"

"Oh, well…I just never thought to get one." Ryou shrugged. "I never really thought I needed to."

"Say no more, I had my doubts about it at first, too," she replied, entering a few last things. "Alrighty then! You already filled out the bio sheet online, so it looks like we're all set." She handed Ryou his ID back. "Just so you know, we are running a special this week. 50% off the entire process." She handed him a tablet with an attached stylus. "This is the total and our Terms and Conditions. By signing this form, you agree to the Terms and agree to pay the amount disclosed."

"What are the Terms, exactly?" He wondered, taking the tablet.

"In simplest terms, it says that you shouldn't attempt to remove the Counter by yourself and, in the event that you do, you can't sue the company for any damage it may cause. Also, you can't request a refund if you think that your wait for your true love is too long or too short - or if you don't like your soulmate."

"Wait, am I not guaranteed to like my soulmate? Isn't that the whole point of having one?"

"Well, no. Not necessarily." Emma steepled her hands. "The Counter does not control how your love life goes, it merely guides you to the second-lead in the play - your co-captain. There are all kinds of love out there; the ever popular love at first sight, friendship blossoming into love, strangers meeting and developing a deeper connection…and, of course, even enemies falling for each other. The Counter takes your data, matches it with your best potential mate, tells you when they enter your life, and the rest just evolves naturally. Technology is amazing, but in the end we are all still human and we make mistakes - it's up to you to decide what kind of love you'll have with your soulmate."

"So you and I just have a good head start…right?" Yugi asked.

Ryou looked down at Yugi and his face softened at the clear nervousness on his face. He held Yugi's hand and pressed a soft kiss to it before saying, "Right." He then took the stylus and signed his name along the provided line.

"Perfect!" Emma took the tablet back and set it on the table before pulling on some gloves. "Now, which hand is your dominant hand?"

"I can use both, but I prefer my right."

"Alright, we'll install it on your left arm, then."

"Whoa!" Ryou did a double take at the device now in the Matchmaker's hands. "What is _that?"_

Emma smiled kindly and held the contraption up so he could see it better. It resembled a large version of an ear piercing gun. Yugi couldn't blame Ryou for being alarmed; a brand new Counter sat on the top of the device, ready to be implanted, and it's embedding prongs did look rather threatening.

"That looks like it's going to hurt."

"It's like getting a piercing," Yugi soothed, redoubling his grip on Ryou's now sweaty hand.

"You know I've never gotten one."

"Yes, it will hurt," he explained, "but only briefly. It's like a hard pinch, then nothing."

Ryou just gave him the Ultimate Look of Disbelief.

"Oh- _kay!"_ Emma said. "After implantation, your Counter will load up and display your time - unless your match doesn't have a Counter, then the display will remain blank. However, if you and Yugi are matched, both of your Counters will start beeping - and then it's happily ever after!"

"Sounds good."

"Alright - on the count of three." She placed the gun against the inside of his left wrist. "Keep breathing." Ryou nodded and shut his eyes. "One—"

There was a loud _CLICK_ and Ryou shouted out in pain and surprise.

"Holy— _Ow!_ What happened to counting to three!?"

"Well, when we count people tend to tense up at the last moment, which makes it hurt more," she explained. "So it's better this way."

Ryou grumbled something that sounded like "sure" and then there was silence. All of them were holding their breath and looking at the new Counter on Ryou's wrist. It gave a sudden musical twinkle and the display came to life.

**0916d 16hr 23mn 03s**

"Huh." Yugi sat back in his chair in disappointment, instinctively looking down at his own Counter that read, as it always had: **\----d --hr --mn --s**

"I'll just…give you two a moment," Emma said, looking downcast. She left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

"Yugi, I'm so sorry—"

"No, no. It's okay." He looked up and smiled, but he knew it didn't reach his eyes. "It's not your fault - you don't control it. I'm happy for you."

Ryou frowned.  
"This is why I didn't—"

"I know." Yugi's fingers clenched at the fabric of the chair. "It was my idea. It's fine."

Ryou looked at his Counter again, reading the numbers out loud, "Nine hundred and sixteen days…that's…"

"Roughly two and a half years," Yugi supplied lifelessly through his numb lips.

"Two and half years," He repeated, now staring at the device in awe. "I'll have my doctorate by then, already starting my career…two years is perfect timing, actually. Wow - it's weird, knowing that they're out there somewhere, just living their life…"

"Yup, and the blank Counter that they've probably had for _years_ has finally begun to count down," Yugi added begrudgingly, resentful. He clenched his hands together until his knuckles turned white and bowed his head. _It's not Ryou's fault,_ he snapped at himself, trying not to lash out. But it was hard to think of anything except the despair that was opening a gaping hole inside him.

Ryou started to reach out to him.  
"Two years is a long time, we can still—"

"Yeah, no." Yugi cringed away from his hand and shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"No…I suppose you're right." He retracted his hand. "There's not much point continuing something that's—"

"Doomed."

"I was going to say moot point," he chuckled. "But yes." His voice became very soft. "I'm sorry, Yugi."

"It's okay," Yugi answered, quieter. "Really - I _am_ happy for you. This is just… I'm just - I'll be fine. It's fine." He stood from his chair, running agitated hands through his hair. "I've got to get to work. Congratulations, Ryou."

"Yugi, hey." Ryou grabbed his hand, stopping him from literally running away. "You are an amazing person. I truly had a lot of fun."

Yugi let out a stream of air between his lips and turned to Ryou with a more genuine smile.  
"I did, too. I wish it could have worked out with us." He gave his hand a squeeze. "I hope you and your soulmate have a long, happy life together."

"Goodbye, Yugi," Ryou whispered, releasing his hand.

Yugi waved and ducked out of the room, lips trembling too much for him to say anything back.


	2. Serendipity in A Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so enters the Pharaoh and things get spicy ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently away from home so I wrote this on my Chromebook, which has a keyboard smaller than the size of printer paper. My fingers keep hitting all the wrong buttons, but I think I caught all the errors. Please excuse any I may have missed!
> 
> * * *

_"—Thank you for that update, Hasoka-san. Now we proceed into our international segment: if a clock could count down to the exact moment you meet your soulmate, would you want to know? Manufactures of the 'Counter' claim that it is, in fact, possible. The next evolutionary step in computer matchmaking, the Counter lets you know when your perfect match has entered your life. Gone are the days of swiping left or right on phone apps and speed dating until you find someone that clicks. We were able to sit down and have an exclusive interview with the head scientist and developer of the Counter, Jong-sensei, and he explains it all…"_

_"All humans are on a path of love, whether that love may be platonic or romantic. As a species, affirmation and affection are strong driving forces behind our biological makeup; we are familial creatures by nature. The Counter is implanted after puberty and is powered by your own body heat. Many have assumed that the science behind this is merely guess-work, that we just take an applicant’s info and use technology to match them with someone who has similar interests or hobbies - but it's actually so much more complicated than that. Your personality is a contributing factor, of course, but the Counter also monitors your levels of Oxytocin, a hormone we scientists refer to as a 'pair bonding' or, what you all may recognize, the 'cuddle hormone'. The Counter will zero out at midnight of the day you are to meet your soulmate and then, when you see each other for the first time, the Counter beeps to signify your—"_

"Shut that shit off, will you?" Yugi snapped loudly over the TV, reaching around his book to grab his coffee mug off of the desk.

"Sheesh, crabby much?" Miho asked, but she didn't sound offended. She blessedly knew his sour mood wasn't directed at her. She obliged his request and hit the channel button on the remote. Jong-sensei's smooth, well-rehearsed monologue was suddenly replaced with the laughter of an audience from an old sitcom.

"You would think," he said, still seething in his annoyance, "that after 20 years, the Counter would stop taking the top news slot. 'Exclusive interview' my ass. That's the same exact footage they used last year!"

"Hm…" Miho sounded very thoughtful, then—"The installation with Ryou-kun didn't go so well, did it?"

He knew she was looking at him now, but he didn't bother to look up and see what kind of expression she wore - he could already guess. He just sighed and set his book down, getting to his feet to refill his mug for a third time. "Yeah, I figured," she continued when he offered no other response, sipping tea from her own cup. "I'm sorry to hear that. Break-ups are hard."

"Turns out third time's _not_ the charm," Yugi said, giving a sharp, humorless laugh. He then pulled out his cell phone, dialing quickly. The line rang three times until, finally—

_"Hello?"_

"Why are you whispering?"

 _"…I'm not,"_ Jou replied, tone unchanged.

"You didn't come home last night. Where are you?"

_"…Church?"_

"Suuure." Yugi rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't comment. He didn't call to lecture Jou on his sexcapades. Not this time. "Anyway, Ryou wasn't the one. He's meeting his soulmate in about two and a half years."

There was the sound of rustling fabric, a low curse.  
_"I'm shocked,"_ Jou deadpanned.

"Yeah…" Yugi sighed as he listened to Jou move around. "Call me back when you find your underwear and get home."

_"Right. Later, Yugi."_

* * *

"Hey, Rebecca-chan!" Despite the dark cloud looming over his head, Yugi was still able to brightly greet his favorite customer as she walked into the shop. She waved back, looking oddly timid today, and made her way through the stacks of unstable boxes. Once she got to where he was taking inventory, she took a deep, settling breath and then smiled shyly.

"Oh!" Yugi grinned at her. "You got your braces removed! I thought you were supposed to have them on for another month?"

"I was," she nodded, looking much more relaxed in the face of his obvious approval, "but my dentist is way cool. He said it'd be fine to take them off now, since school starts again next week."

"That's right - it does!" He shook his head, blind-sighted by how fast summer had gone by. Well...Yugi did have a pretty good reason not to notice the time. He met Ryou at the start of May, and three months had felt like no time at all, especially when every day had been so—he quickly shook his head again harder, forcing away his thoughts, keeping his depression at bay. Rebecca was looking at him in concern; he couldn't dwell on his unhappiness right now.

"Anyway, that's great!" Yugi forced himself to smile for her. "I never had to get braces. How does it feel now that they're gone?"

"Really weird. I can't stop feeling them!" As she said this, Yugi watched her run her tongue over the surface of her teeth. "They're like…slippery? And I have to wear a retainer every night." He face twisted, displeased. "He says I should be wearing it more often than that, but I don't want to go to school with it!"

He laughed. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't want. If he says you should wear it often, that's what you should do. Your grandpa paid good money for those braces - don't mess up your pretty smile."

Rebecca flushed and grinned, pleased.

"A momentous occasion like this deserves a gift! Hmmm…" He looked over at the shelves, thinking. "You wanna play UNO with me?"

"Really?" Her big blue eyes lit up. "You're not busy?"

"Nah." He grabbed the box of cards off of the shelf and led the way to the corner of the store where they allowed customers to try out the games. He winked. "For you, I have all the time in the world."

 _"Yay!!"_ She cheered, taking the cards from Yugi and dropping into her spot at the table. Yugi grinned as he sat down and watched her expertly shuffle - clearly showing off for him.

At least he could make other people happy, even if he himself wasn't.

* * *

Much, much later that same day, Yugi stood in front of a cashier, watching his groceries get scanned one-by-one, but not really seeing them.

He'll admit it: he wasn't doing so great. The adjustment back to life without Ryou was much harder than it had been with his previous love interests. He'd really, truly thought that this time would work out - that Ryou had been _it._ Granted, he hadn't been _in love_ with Ryou, but he'd definitely seen himself easily falling for him. And it really would have been easy, like slipping on a pair of shoes that fit perfectly.

He could picture them watching late-night game shows or infomercials, falling asleep in each other’s arms in a big, comfy bed, waking up to soft kisses and cooking breakfast together. That was what made Ryou so great - everything with him was so warm and simple. _Easy._ Yugi genuinely had wanted it to work out with him more than he had with his previous potentials, but it just wasn't meant to be. Ryou was now off, planning for the future he knew he was going to have and Yugi…

Yugi was still standing here, alone with a blank Counter. He was beginning to think it would _always_ be blank.

Every day, he saw other people zero out, meet their soulmate, and go off to live happily ever after. He was ready for it to be his turn. Having a Counter was legitimately pointless if the other party member didn't have one. Where was his soulmate? What were they doing now? Would they _ever_ get a Counter, or was Yugi just fated to never know?

He let out a long, worn out sigh, running his finger over the edge of his debit card as he boredly watched his now-scanned items get bagged up.

"Have you ever heard the joke about the girl at the supermarket?" Someone suddenly asked, their deep voice cutting right into Yugi's lamenting thoughts and jarring him back into reality. He blinked a few times, focusing on the cashier in front of him. "It's an oldie, but a goodie. I'll tell you it."

"Uh—"

"There's a woman shopping for groceries. She brings all her stuff to the register," he said, staring down at his dark hands as he bagged Yugi's items, his blonde hair hiding part of his face. "There's toilet paper, microwavable dinners, candy, and wine. The cashier looks over her stuff and then at her and asks, 'are you single?'"

Yugi's sure his eyebrows were nearly touching each other in his confusion.

"The woman kind of giggles and says, 'why? Because I'm buying all this single serve stuff?' And the cashier says, 'No. Because you're ugly.'"

The joke was so stupid, so _not_ funny, that Yugi does bark out a short, shocked laugh that sounded completely devoid of any humor. The cashier winced, still not looking at him.

"God, I'm sorry," he quickly said. "A friend told me that joke a few days ago and it wasn't funny then, either. I just randomly remembered it and thought it'd be funnier if I told it to you, but…yeah."

"Yeah," Yugi agreed.

"Maybe I just thought you'd get the irony."

Yugi shrugged a shoulder.  
"Guess I missed it."

"I mean, because…you know. You're so cute and all."

That got a more genuine laugh from Yugi, though it still didn't seem funny.  
"Yeah, that's a good one, too," he said.

The cashier finally looked up, his deep eyes catching Yugi's gaze.  
"I am 100% sincere on that one," he said, face flushed.

Yugi twisted his lips together, wondering if the blush was from his embarrassment, or if it was because he was lying.

"Well, your total is $43.36." The cashier finally said, tearing his gaze away - and Yugi was surprised at how it actually felt like _tearing._

 _Huh._ Without further prompting, Yugi shoved his card into the slot, waiting for the little machine to beep at him. As he punched in his PIN numbers, he glanced over at the other man, who was now awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Yugi's eyes trailed up the man's chest - _nice_ \- and over the line of his arm - _slightly built? Also nice_ \- and then blinked in recognition when he saw the familiar face of a Counter on his wrist, reading **0129d 06hr 32mn 44s**

Yugi quickly looked back down - knowing he had absolutely no reason to feel disappointed - and removed his card, but the cashier had noticed his stare.

"I see your Counter is blank," he began conversationally.

"And?" Yugi asked, sounding much more abrasive than he meant to. "What of it?"

"Nothing. You must be really thinking about your future though, huh?" At Yugi's reluctant nod, the man continued, "It's just a shame, because thinking too much about the future distracts you from the present. You could be having more fun."

Yugi gathered his bags.  
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"I meant with me."

Yugi grinned, suddenly finding all of this rather amusing.  
"Oh, I know." He wiggled his fingers at him. "Tah-tah!"

He didn't look back when the cashier called a soft "take care" after him. He didn't pause as he strode out through the automatic doors, the humid, summer air rushing forward to meet him. He only smiled to himself the whole way out to his car.

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!"

"You were supposed to be back an hour ago!" Yugi called back, peering around his bedroom's door frame to see Jou kicking off his shoes. "I thought you were going to be gone all night again."

"Punctuality won't speed up any process," Jou grumbled, stepping out of the entry way and bee-lining to the kitchen.

"Maybe, but a positive attitude definitely helps," Yugi said, following his brother.

"Yeah, it seemed to work absolute wonders for you this morning."

Yugi's breath stopped in his throat. He couldn't deny that that hurt.  
"It's a process of elimination and I am one step closer to my goal."

"You sound like a broken record." Jou grabbed some eggs out of the fridge. In his movements, the collar of his green jacket moved down and Yugi saw a smudged red mark on his neck.

"Oh, _ugh,"_ Yugi groaned as he walked over and pulled the jacket aside so he could get a better look. It was definitely lipstick. "Did she have a Counter?"

"Duh," Jou grunted, pulling himself out of Yugi's grasp to grab a skillet. "F'course she had a Counter. They always have a Counter. Girls with expiration dates are more willing to have a last fling before settling down."

"That's gross. You know they're just using you."

"No, I'm using _them._ It's a mutual using. Everybody wins."

Yugi collapsed back into a chair while Jou busied himself with making his late-night dinner.  
"You have scientific proof on your wrist that what you're doing is a waste of time. It can't be as satisfying as you say."

"You know what? You're so right." Jou expertly cracked his eggs into the skillet with one hand. "Blazing hot, anonymous sex is so tedious."

Yugi sighed and stared at the picture of their family on the wall.  
"Hey...I think we should get a cat. How do you feel about having a pet?"

"Yugi..." The table shifted a little as Jou plopped down into the other chair with his plate. "On a scale of one to ten, how upset are you about Ryou, really?"

Yugi pursed his lips.  
"Sssix…?"

Jou gave him a skeptical raised brow.

"Okay, like eight and a half," Yugi said more honestly. "But, you know. It's fine."

The eyebrow just raised higher.

"Okay, like - I just want to know!" Yugi slumped over the table, head his his hands. "Okay, yes, I _really_ liked Ryou, but I'm also just so tired of having a Counter and still not knowing."

"You know what they say about a watched pot, Yugi."

"Yeah, but I still want it to say something, even if it says I'm not going to meet them until—"

"Until what? Until you're 44, like me?" Jou asked, flashing his own Counter at Yugi with an annoyed frown.

Yugi instantly deflated, watching Jou's seconds tick by.  
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Jou looked at his Counter with disgust and pulled his sleeve back over his wrist. There was silence between them as he finished his eggs, before he commented, "The girl I was with last night only had two days."

"Cutting it close, aren't you?"

"Guess what else?"

"She was actually a man?"

"Ha, ha. No. She'd just gotten her Counter that same day."

It was like a dam inside Yugi finally collapsed, flooding his entire body with a directionless anger that had him leaping to his feet. Every bit of sadness and resentment he'd ever felt at his own Counter came back ten-fold.

"She just got it and she only has to wait _two days?!"_ He demanded, throwing his hands up in the air. He was right on the edge of insanity. "Are you _kidding me?!_ That is such bullshit!"

"Yikes."

"I'm so over this. Fuck it!" Yugi grabbed his keys off of the counter and began shoving his feet into his shoes. "I'm leaving. Don't wait up."

"Wait - Yugi! I didn't tell you that just to make you mad—"

"I know. It's fine. I just suddenly remembered something I need to do."

"Yugi, what—?"

But his words were cut off buy the door slamming shut, Yugi already halfway to his car.

* * *

Yugi swerved ungracefully into an empty parking spot, hitting the brakes and forcing the car to a jerky stop, narrowly missing the pristine white SUV in the spot in front of him. He jammed the gear shift into park and cut the engine, seething in the sudden silence.

It was unbelievable. _Ridiculous._ He was so enraged; he’d had his Counter for almost a decade now and it was still blank, yet someone else could live in complete, uncaring La-La Land, randomly decide to get one, and only have to wait two days!? The unfairness of it all left a bitter, heavy taste in his mouth. Having a blank Counter was worse than not having a Counter at all. For so long, he’d been holding himself back – just waiting around, trying his best – and for _what?_ To repeatedly put himself through the drama and strain of finding someone he liked, only to be hurt when they didn’t end up being the one? Missing out on life for _years_ because he thought, desperately hoped, that waiting for his soulmate would be worth it?

Well, it wasn’t worth it. Not one bit. He was done letting a stupid piece of plastic tell him how to live. He didn’t want to be as flippant about it as Jou, but he couldn’t deny that his brother might just be going about things the right way. After all, there was no point constantly living in the unforeseeable future and holding himself so tightly bound just because of a blank Counter. Sure, he could _possibly_ meet his soulmate tomorrow, but Yugi also knew that if he didn’t start enjoying the life he had now, he’d forever regret it. What future could he ever have if he didn't make it happen now?

He stared at the supermarket’s glowing lights, gathering up all his courage before getting out of his car in a huff. Once inside the store, his eyes immediately tracked over to where he’d bought his groceries. The cashier from before was still there, scanning items with a look of absolute bored indifference. 

_“Hey!”_ Yugi called loudly, ignoring the few staff members and customers that eyed him. He didn’t care if he was being rude. The cashier looked around at the yell curiously, eyes flying wide open when he recognized Yugi standing near the entrance doors, one hand propped on his hip and staring back.

“Um—”

“What time do you get off of work?”

“What?” He asked, looking like he couldn’t believe his ears.

“Do you actually need me to repeat it?”

“Yes. Through the loudspeaker, if you don’t mind,” he replied, a smirk curling the corners of his mouth. Yugi narrowed his eyes, wondering if picking this guy had been the right choice. (Well, honestly? This guy was his _only_ option.)

“Crack all the jokes you want,” Yugi replied. “We both know how _funny_ you are.” The cashier at least had the self-awareness to blush, abashed at the reminder. “But believe me when I tell you that this is your one and only chance.” He folded his arms. “So make it count.”

“Now,” the man said, reaching over to flick the switch of his lane light. He tore off his apron and stuffed it in a drawer. “I get off right now.”

“Where are you going?” A girl in a matching store shirt complained, seeing Atem leaving his post.

“Cover for me, Mana!”

“Are you kidding me?” Her lips pursed outward in a pout. “You still haven’t paid me back for last time!”

“Please!” He said, staring at her almost desperately.

“Fine, fine!” She sighed and began walking over to his register. “But now you owe me two! I want dinner.”

“Whatever you want!” He replied, grabbing her in a quick, thankful hug.

“At a _fancy_ restaurant!” She cried after him as he jogged away.

“Let’s go,” he said excitedly to Yugi. They left the store together, Yugi leading him back to his car. “My name is Atem, by the way,” he added as he ducked into the car.

“Yugi.” He took the offered hand and shook it quickly. He was trying really hard not to think about how warm Atem’s hand was or what he was about to do. Now that he was here, he was finding it really hard to hang onto his previous courage. He was still determined, but now he was also shy because _god_ \- Atem was actually a lot hotter than he remembered.

“What do you do?” Atem wondered, curiously looking at the tiny Dark Magician Funko figurine that was dangling from the rearview mirror.

“I own a game store.”

“No way!” He was grinning. “That’s cool.”

“Where are we heading?”

“Uh – well, my place is only like five minutes away—”

“Great,” Yugi replied, already twisting the steering wheel to leave the lot.

* * *

“So this is it. My humble abode!” Atem announced as he got out of the car, flourishing his arm toward a beige, two-story townhouse situated in the middle of five others just like it. As they climbed up the front steps, he continued, “I live here with a friend - you kind of met her. The one covering for me at work.”

Yugi couldn’t help but feel curious about that, wondering if he and the girl – Mana, he belatedly remembered – were really _only_ friends. She was cute and they seemed really close…and she lived with him… Yugi’s idea of Atem being a playboy strengthened.

“Also, Sunday is our cleaning day, so I’m sorry if it’s a bit of a mess,” Atem added, unlocking his front door and pushing it open.

Yugi looked around the place, noting that it was far cleaner than Atem had made it sound. There were magazines and pens on the coffee table, mail thrown haphazardly on the kitchen counter, and a small jean jacket hanging over the back of a blue couch…but it wasn’t messy. Just lived-in. Comfortable.

“My brother and I have a set day like that, too,” he found himself saying before he could stop himself. He didn’t know if he was trying to make Atem feel better about the “mess” or if he was trying to find a common thing they shared. He pressed his lips together, regretting mentioning Jou. He wasn’t here to get chummy with the guy, he was here to get fucked.

“So – where’s your bedroom?” Yugi asked in what he hoped was a smooth, suggestive tone. He must’ve succeeded, because Atem visibly swallowed and looked a little dazed as he took Yugi’s hand, leading him up the stairs.

“Hey, listen,” Yugi began apprehensively as they entered the room, watching as Atem pulled his wallet and keys from his pockets and tossed them onto the desk close to the door. He needed this to be absolutely clear between them: “I don’t want to know your hobbies or interests. I don't want to know about your family. I don’t want to know about your job or your friends. I don’t even want to know how old you are – actually, wait. Tell me how old you are.”

“Don’t worry, I’m completely legal,” Atem promised, smiling again. “I’m 25.” Yeah, he was legal - _but that smile shouldn't be,_ Yugi thought, admiring the way it bunched up his cheeks.

“Okay. Right. Uh, I’m 26,” Yugi added, feeling it was only fair to share his age as well. “But anyway, this is a one-time thing. That’s it. I’m not looking for a relationship or anything, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I got it.”

Atem's eyes were steady, irises looking impossibly dark and molten in the moonlight coming in through the thin curtains. His gaze was fixed on Yugi, hardened around the edges, but not in any kind of anger or annoyance. He was just really intense, like there was nothing else in the entire world except them two standing in his bedroom. And even though the look sent a raw thrill through Yugi’s body like a rush of blood, it also made him feel really exposed. Like Atem could see every vulnerable part of him.

Yugi fidgeted with his fingers.  
“Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“No, no,” Atem murmured fervently, taking a slow, careful step closer to Yugi. “No, this is a _great_ idea. It’s right up there with…fuck, I don’t know – gravity and solar power and all that stuff.” He moved in, the toes of his shoes touching Yugi’s, crowding him against the wall. “It’s a really, _really_ good idea.”

Yugi giggled nervously like a damn 12-year-old.  
“Are you always like this?”

Atem's hand smoothed down his arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake.  
“I thought you didn’t want to know about my hobbies.”

Yugi swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat, licking his lips and shivering when Atem’s eyes dropped down to track the movement, head tilting in closer. “I – I don’t.”

“Well, if it eases your conscious, I’m actually not some fuckboy.”

“I’m…finding that really hard to believe, given our position.”

“I’m serious,” Atem pulled back just enough so he could study Yugi’s face clearly. “I just…I don’t know. I saw you standing in front of me, looking like you were miles away, thinking of a hundred things at once, and I…you’re really—” His hand came up and stroked along Yugi’s cheek, tucking some wayward hair behind his ear. Yugi’s eyes caught on the Counter on Atem’s wrist and he turned his head to the side, getting a better look at it before he could stop himself.

“…Four months, huh?”

“Hm?” Atem blinked rapidly, taken aback before he followed where Yugi was looking. “Oh…right. Yeah.”

Yugi shut his eyes with a sigh. As attracted as he was to Atem - _so very attracted_ \- he couldn’t do this. Not with someone so close to zeroing out. Seeing the numbers was like a bucket of ice being poured over him, reminding him why he was here, in a stranger’s house, in the first place. With that realization came a strange clarity of mind, and with that clarity came a low-key panic because - because this wasn’t something he _did_ often. Hooking up. Flings. Of course he wasn’t a virgin, but he never made it a habit to have one-night stands like Jou did.

Now he was here with Atem, who was only four months from finding his soulmate, and this was really happening and… Yugi couldn’t do it.

“You enjoy that time,” Yugi finally whispered, pressing a gentle hand to Atem’s cheek as he pulled the rest of his body away. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Atem looked confused as Yugi ducked around him, heading to the door.

“I have to go.”

“No – wait,” he grabbed Yugi’s arm, holding him in place. “Stay. We don’t have to have sex if you really don’t want—”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” Yugi jerked his arm away and rushed down the stairs. He didn’t look back as he left, knowing that, if he did, he’d just run right back into Atem’s arms.


	3. When It Speaks...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why Atem being in a band is so funny to me, but it is. Play that funky music!

Jou sat back in his chair at the front desk, watching as an old man slowly, so very _slooowly,_ made his way across the lobby, leaning heavily on a walker and wearing nothing but a scandalously thin nightgown. He know it was inevitable, but Jou found it really hard to believe that one day he’d be that old, too. Then again, time didn’t mean much to him - he’d stopped tracking it long ago.

Grabbing the office phone, he dialed the numbers he knew by heart.

“Jou, I’m fine,” was all Yugi said in lieu of a greeting, voice sounding stuffy.

Jou felt his heart ache for his brother. Yugi had come home relatively soon after storming out last night. He had said not to wait up but then, after only maybe an hour, he was slumping back into the house, looking like he'd just given up on his favorite superhero. The sudden swing of emotions - and Yugi's reluctance to say anything about it as he shuffled to his room for the night - left Jou with a thousand question marks jumping around in his head.

"Did I ask?" Jou replied, trying to remain aloof. If Yugi didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't force him.

“Hank?” A woman asked, peering over the counter and down at Jou with small, wrinkled eyes. “Is that you, Hank?”

Jou placed his hand over the phone receiver.  
“It sure isn’t, Glinda,” he replied with a plastered smile.

“Oh…” She looked surprised and tottered off, mumbling, “my mistake.”

“But really,” Jou said, already back on the phone, “what’s up?”

“I’m fine,” Yugi insisted. Jou clicked his tongue in annoyance, wishing Yugi would stop internalizing shit like this. “No, really! Mom told me earlier that she’s already found me another prospect, so…that's that. Someone’s granddaughter? We’re going on a date tonight.”

“Ugh, remind me to yell at her over lunch later.” Jou hated how his mother always insisted on meddling in Yugi’s love life - how quickly she tried to set up new dates when a previous prospect didn't work out. “It's only been a day! Hopefully by ‘granddaughter, it’s not some kid or—”

“Hank!” Glinda was back. “Listen to your father!”

“Yeah, I’m still not your son,” Jou snapped, giving her A Look. “You can see I’m on the phone, right?”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” She looked lost. “I thought my son was here.”

“He won’t be in to visit for another week,” he reminded her, much more gently this time. “Remember?”

“Of course, of course. I’m so forgetful these days…”

“I wish I had never gotten a Counter,” Jou complained to Yugi as she wandered off again. “It’s done nothing but make life worse. What sixteen-year-old is so eager to find their true love, anyway?”

“Quite a few, actually. Why do you think so many young adult books are full of romance? Everyone is just looking for a comforting piece of themselves in others. Even Romeo and Juliet were teenagers!”

“And look at how well they ended up! Both of them dead, and millions of people the world over cringe when they find out that Juliet was only 13.” Jou smirked. “Oh, but they _did_ stop a life-long family feud, so there's that. If only life could be more like a theater drama.”

“Is that you, Hank?”

Jou slowly turned his head to Glinda and stared at her incredulously - knowing it wasn't her fault, but not really caring. “Hold on for one moment, please,” he calmly told Yugi, setting down the phone. He sat up straighter and grinned at Glinda. “Hey, Mom! Good to see you. I have great news! I’m gay.”

Her face fell into shock.  
“You’re…?”

“Gay. _So_ gay,” Jou repeated with a nod. “Gay as the day is long. Also, my boyfriend?” He looked around theatrically and leaned in to whisper, _“He’s black.”_

She clutched at her chest.  
"We didn’t raise you like this, Hank!”

“Sorry, Mom.” He shrugged, easing back in his seat. “It’s just who I am.”

“That’s not funny.” A voice said. Jou stiffened when he saw the head doctor standing right outside his office door, arms folded in disapproval.

Jou grabbed the phone, muttered, “I’ll call you back” and hung it up. Then, to the doctor, “It was a _little_ funny. She won’t remember.”

“It might feel like you have all the time in the world, but it’ll be you in here faster than you think,” the doctor said sternly. He came over and took Glinda’s arm in a gentle hold. “Come with me, dear. Let’s go back to your room. It’s this way, remember?”

Jou watched them both walk down the hallway, feeling guilty.

“In the Army, we had a name for guys like that,” another resident spoke up, pulling himself up from the arm chair in the corner of the lobby.

“What? A cheese-eater?” 

“Nope. A shit pump.”

“Oooh, even better.” Jou grinned. “How’s it hanging, Dutch?”

“Down to my knees,” the man answered, limping along with his cane. “You keep your head up, son.”

* * *

_“…With large, rough hands the color of an Englishman’s tea, Nithum circled her tiny waist. Her inhibitions melted like the butter off of her morning toast.”_

The narrator’s smooth voice came out of the car speakers and filled the entire space as Jou, Yugi, and their mom headed into the city for lunch. Jou had his hand pressed firmly over his mouth, desperately trying not to laugh at his mom’s shitty romance audio book. Yugi’s face was scrunched up in extreme disgust, looking like he’d rather be dead than listen to any more.

_”’Oh, Nithum…’ Alana whispered, trembling as his hands moved down and curved over the soft swell of her pert ass. ‘Missionary work is so much harder than I ever imagined it would be.’ She quickly discovered that wasn’t all that was hard as—”_

“Oops! Dirty bits!” Their mom cried, quickly muting the radio. A snort escaped from behind Jou's hand and tears formed at the corners of his eyes as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. Yugi face immediately smoothed back out in the absence of Alana's deeds and he relaxed back into his seat, enjoying the peace the silence brought until their mother asked, "So, Yugi. Are you looking forward to your date tonight?”

“Uh—” Yugi gave a noncommittal jerk of his head. “Sure? I’m not really looking for anything serious right now, Mom. Don’t expect me to fall for her or anything.”

“Sure, sure,” she soothed placatingly, but she looked far too excited. “Of course, you don’t know for sure until she gets a Counter. No stone left unturned, honey.”

Yugi bumped his head against the back of the seat, rolling his eyes as he turned his head to stare out of the window. “Yeah. Okay, Mom.”

“You two don’t realize how incredibly lucky you are!” She continued, pulling around a slow-moving truck. “You and generations after you are now spared the emotional carnage of break-ups and reciprocated love. No longer will people have to live through the humiliation of reckless one-night stands! Relationships were such a mess before the Counter.”

"She sounds like an infomercial," Jou muttered under his breath.

She heard. She looked at them in the rear-view mirror.  
“Isn’t our family great?”

“Yes,” They both droned, like reading from a memorized script.

“Don’t you two feel as if you were always meant to be brothers?”

“Yes,” They both said again, but this time with more feeling.

“And it’s all thanks to the Counter!” She finished with great fervor, as if proving a point.

Jou looked over at Yugi and they shared a wince.

* * *

“Uh, Yugi?” Miho asked, poking her head into the backroom.

“Hm?”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

That’s weird, he wasn’t expecting anyone. Maybe that's why she also sounded bewildered. “Okay, be there in a minute.” He took one more good look at his supply order before confirming it and then he pushed away from the computer desk, rubbing his hands down his face with little finesse. He was so exhausted. He had a hard time getting to sleep last night, and an even harder time _staying_ asleep.

After another moment, he sighed and got to his feet, knowing he couldn't just sit there and pretend he didn't have any responsibilities - or else he really would doze off - and headed into the main store. When he looked up, he froze in place, eyes immediately snapping to an all-too familiar face.

Atem smiled back sheepishly, giving a stiff little wave.

“There’s not a lot of game stores owned by a Yugi,” he explained.

Yugi opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. He had to be dreaming – but no, Atem was actually here. Here in his store, looking like he somehow belonged – like this was a thing they did often; meeting up and hanging out. Yugi’s face started to burn and he crossed his arms, instantly defensive.

“Miho, could you give us a minute, please?” He asked, his polite tone clipped.

“Oh, sure,” she said, looking surprised. She glanced between the two of them very curiously as she went into the back room.

“So, I’m trying to find this game I used to play as a kid," Atem immediately said, sounding breathless, "but I don’t for the life of me remember what it was called and I can’t find it anywhere. I thought I should ask a professional.”

“Look – you can’t do this, okay?” Yugi hissed, shoulders tensing higher. “This is my _job!_ You can’t just—”

“Wait, wait – I’m sorry!” Atem clapped his hands together in front of his face, peering up at him anxiously. “I promise I’m not trying to freak you out or anything! I just really want – I think we should hang out.”

“You— _what?”_ All the air whooshed right out of Yugi. He actually stumbled back a step, stunned.

“I know coming here was dumb, but I wanted to see you again.” Atem lowered his hands, still looking anxious. “I think we should be friends.”

“Oh, Atem…” He gave a quiet sigh, letting his arms fall down to his sides. “It’s not that I don’t like you, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

Yugi gave him a very obvious once-over and Atem flushed.

“Oh, right. The whole we-wanna-bang-each-other thing,” he said, trying to sound completely unbothered. “Okay, so what? We can still be friends.”

“It’s not just that.”

“You have issues with my Counter too, right?” He grimaced. “You keep looking at it.”

There was no point in lying. “Well, _yes.”_

“Let me guess.” He looked away. “You think I’m cheating on someone I’ve never met.”

“Good lord, no!” Yugi shook his head quickly, and Atem peeked back up. “No, it’s not that at all! I just think that if you’re lucky enough to have a countdown – especially one so close – you should take it. Why bother starting something when you know it’ll only end in heartbreak? When you meet your soulmate, they’ll be all that matters to you from then on.”

“That’s what’s so stupid about the Counter,” Atem said, irritated. “It tells you that you only have one path and you shouldn’t deviate from it – but life is all about the detours!”

Yugi bit his lip. He couldn’t say he didn’t agree with him a little bit, but…  
“You seem like an incredible guy, and I enjoy being with you.”

“…But?”

“Well, I’m…” He didn’t know how to put it into words; how much he wanted to be with Atem, how much of bad idea that would be. How he simultaneously hated but relied on his Counter. He just defaulted to his usual excuse: “I’m looking for my soulmate. You have a Counter, so you’re not it.”

Atem’s opened his mouth, looking determined, but then he stopped, eyebrows furrowing. His mouth flattened and he wrapped his hand around his other arm, the fight leaving his posture. “Alright,” he said, voice surprisingly even. “I get it.”

“I really am sorry,” Yugi mumbled. "It's just…you and me? It's not a good idea. I'm sorry."

Atem gave him a lopsided, understanding smile that didn’t reach his eyes and exited the shop, leaving Yugi with a deep sense of regret rolling in his stomach.

* * *

“Mary! Is that you, Mary?” Glinda asked eagerly, shuffling toward a young woman standing in front of the reception desk. “I thought you were starting a new job! What are you doing here?”

The woman in question blinked in confusion.  
“Uh, no. I’m not—”

“Why don’t you come by anymore? Hank is _impossible.”_

“Oh, hon…” Understanding washed over her face, quickly followed by sympathy. “I’m not Mary. You have me confused with someone else.”

“Oh, I’ve missed you,” Glinda said, wearily rubbing her hands together, looking forlorn. “I have such trouble sleepy lately.”

The young woman looked alarmed at the old woman's tears, glancing around the lobby for help. No one else was in the room except them… she looked back at Glinda’s sad, sad face, but her hopeful eyes radiating love for whoever this Mary was, and she sighed.

“Uh – yeah,” she managed, a little awkwardly, smiling softly as she held the old woman’s hand. “I miss you, too. I’ll – I’ll try to visit more often?”

“Glinda, what have we told you about talking to strangers?” A new voice said from the entrance of the building, and both women looked over to see a man sliding in through the doors. He took a long pull of whatever drink he had in his plastic cup and sailed past them, disappearing around a corner, only to reappear on the other side of the desk. He flopped back into the chair and set his cup aside, looking at Glinda with an odd sort of complacency.

“I’m pretty she’s not your daughter, Glinda,” He then said, eyes tightening in pity.

“Oh, yes…” Glinda said, blinking at the other woman with clearer eyes. “My mistake, dear.”

“Sorry if the natives are bothering you,” he said as they watched Glinda shuffle away. The woman turned to him and he sat up straighter at being her new focus. He kept her bright, azure eyes and grinned, suddenly very polite. A perfect model employee. “My name is Jou. What can I do for you?”

“Well, I’m here to visit my grandpa and see the head—”

“Oh, they’re probably sleeping. Both of them. Not much to do here, really,” he said, waving a carefree hand. He then leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands. “So where are you from?”

She blinked, taken aback, but quickly settled into the conversation. “Here, actually.”

“Born and raised?”

“Yes. I work at the University.”

“I love how you say that,” Jou replied, unashamedly watching her mouth, “as if there’s only _one_ University in town.” The woman actually laughed, delighted, her smile wide and showing off her straight, perfect teeth. Jou’s own grin widened. Oh, yeah - she was game.

“Hey, hey!” An irritable gruff voice called and they both looked over to see Dutch limping in. “Lay off my granddaughter.”

“Are you cock-blocking me, old man?” Jou asked, scandalized. He thought Dutch was his wingman!

“Papa!” The woman exclaimed, rushing to hug the man.

“She’s here to entertain her elder, not flirt with the help,” Dutch explained, patting her back.

“She has time to do both!” Jou argued, looking back at her. “So what’s your name, recruit?”

“Anzu.” She held her hand out.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking the offered hand. He quickly flipped her arm over, taking a good look at her wrist. “Oh - no Counter. Yawn.”

“See, I was looking out for you,” Dutch said, winking. “I know your type.” Jou just gave a loose shrug, completely untroubled. “Come on, sweetheart.” He then said to his granddaughter as they linked arms. “This Scrabble won’t play itself.”

“Let me know if you want me to nick some new games from my brother!” Jou called after them.

“Will do.”

“See you, Jou!” Anzu called enthusiastically, waving over her shoulder.

“Later, Anzu,” Jou replied, not quite able to place the feeling he had as he watched her walk away. After another minute, he shook it off. He was probably just horny.

* * *

By 8:30 that night, much earlier than he expected, Yugi found himself walking through the doors of The Place – a bar nestled in-between a tattoo parlor and a take-out restaurant where Jou bartended as a second job. As it’s name suggested, it was literally the place to be, especially on a Friday night. College kids often frequented the place on the weekends, throwing parties every semester when exams finished.

The date he’d gone on with his mom’s friend’s granddaughter had been a total bust, not even worth pursuing. They had nothing in common. They were so different, he wondered if his mom had even vetted this one. If she had known that the girl didn’t even like board games or mystery novels, she surely wouldn’t have insisted on Yugi meeting her! The whole “date” – he used the term with extreme looseness because it felt _nothing_ like a date – was majorly spent in silence, both he and the girl eager to leave and do better things with their time.

So, yeah. Yugi didn’t usually drink - he would just chill with Jou, making fun of drunk people - but with the terrible date on top of _everything else_ going wrong in his life, it was definitely a night to sit in loud music and get completely sloshed with a bunch of strangers. A welcome distraction.

He shoved his way through the crowd, heading straight to the bar where he saw his brother professionally flipping a tumblr full of whatever fruity drink someone had just ordered.

“Heyyy!” Jou greeted, neatly pouring out the tumblr and sliding it to a petite girl wearing an obnoxiously purple sequined top. “Lay it on me, my man! Was the date as magical as you hoped?”

With a groan, Yugi fell into an empty stool and shoved his face into his hands.  
“Shut up and give me something with at least three different alcohols.”

“Oh, I’m glad I was prepared for this outcome.” Jou laughed, pulling an already-prepared drink from under the counter and pushing it toward Yugi. “You know what mom says – things don’t have to be perfect from the start. Things can build over time. Or, specks are fleeting! And, don’t forget to wash your hands before eating dinner!”

Yugi laughed at the pep-talk and accepted the glass, grateful for Jou’s easy attitude and humor.

“Remember," he then added, "you definitely want to be with someone boring so you can talk about nothing for the rest of your life."

“You are so wise.” Yugi nodded sagely, easily downing half his drink in one go.

“Also, I got these ready too, just in case your night was _reaaally_ bad - which I see it was.” Jou set two shot glasses down in front of him and Yugi sniffed one experimentally.

“Straight vodka?”

“I know you can’t take tequila.”

“God bless you, Jou,” He gushed, already shooting one down.

“Don’t worry about it, man.” Jou was already working on a new drink, simply pouring rum and coke together over a large ice cube in a short glass. He slid it over to a burly man with tattoos all down his arm. “You just got to listen to the universe. It’ll show you the way when you least expect it. When it speaks, you listen.”

“And how many drinks have you had?”

“That’s rude! I never sample my own merchandise.” Jou winked. “Anyway, Honda called out sick so I’m a little backed up. I need to zip around to the other side. I’ll get you another drink when I get back.”

Yugi shot him a grateful grin before taking the other shot, the liquor sending a tingling burn all the way down his throat. He shuddered, sipping his mixed drink to chase the flavor down. 

“Don’t freak out—” There was suddenly a small hand on his bicep, anchoring him in place, and Yugi nearly inhaled his drink in shock “—I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s just – there’s this guy who’s—” Yugi looked over in time to see the girl now hanging onto his arm cringe closer, literally using him as a shield as a tall man in raggedy jeans eyed her from his spot against the wall.

“Oh, shit,” she hissed, ducking her head down to hide her face behind Yugi’s shoulder. He got a whiff of roses from her brown hair and...something he weirdly recognizes? A cologne? “I’m so sorry, I know this is weird – I’m in the band playing tonight and he’s been eyeing me the whole time. When we went on break, I got separated from my group by the crowd and he started following me around.” Her voice shook. “I don’t know what to do. He’s starting to _really_ freak me out.”

“I got you,” Yugi said instantly, trying to exude a calm façade for her benefit. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen trouble in a bar, and unfortunately, he knew it wouldn’t be the last, either. “My brother is the bartender; we can take care of it.”

She looked up, green eyes shimmering in fear and unshed tears.  
“Really? Thank God - thank _you._ Thank you so much. I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Yugi moved his arm out of her grasp and draped it around her shoulders instead, patting the top of her head with his hand comfortingly. Then, in a louder voice, “Hey, Jou!”

“Whaaat?” Jou yelled back, focused on his current trick. “I told you, I’d—”

“I need to speak with you.”

Jou must’ve heard the urgency in his tone, because he forwent his guaranteed tip-increasing tumbler trick and settled for just pouring it into a glass, pushing it toward a woman abruptly before jogging back over to Yugi, eyes flicking between him and the shorter girl curiously.

“We have a situation.” Yugi gently nudged the girl forward.

“Uh, hi—” She swallowed hard, “I met you earlier, I’m—”

“The singer in the band, yes.” Jou nodded, recognizing her. “Your break is almost over, right?”

“Yes, but there’s this man—” She cut her eyes over to the corner where the man was still standing, staring and now scowling at her “—I got separated from my band and he keeps following me around and—”

“Say no more,” Jou replied, holding his hand up and leaning away from the bar. “Tall guy in the torn up jeans and shitty 80's slicked hair? I’m on it.” He walked to the other side of the bar and Yugi could see him signaling for the bouncer.

“There, see?” Yugi said softly as they watched the bouncer approach the shady man and pull him away, forcing him toward the doors. “All better.”

She took Yugi’s hand and pressed the back of it to her forehead.  
_“Thank you, thank you, thank you—”_

"Oh." Yugi pulled away, embarrassed. “D-don’t worry about it. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

“No. They really wouldn’t,” she said, sure of that. She looked much more alive and vibrant now that she was no longer cowering in fear. Her eyes suddenly focused on something behind them in the crowed. “Oh! There’s Mahad!" She cried, obviously seeing someone she recognized. Her eyes focused back to Yugi and she bowed. “I’m going to go catch my brother – thank you so much again!”

“Have a nice set!” Yugi called after her, waving. She paused and waved back at him eagerly before diving into the crowd, racing after her group.

Well, that was…something. Yugi smiled to himself and turned back to the bar, suddenly feeling oddly content with the world. He called a short “thank you” to Jou as he went by, serving more drinks. Jou just jerked his head in acknowledgement, this time successfully completing his tip-increasing trick. There was a clatter signifying movement on the stage, the reverb of a microphone and guitar plugging back in, and Yugi guessed that the band was back from their break.

“Hey, hey – alright!” The singer yelled, and Yugi instantly recognized her voice. “Thank you all so much for coming to see us tonight! Due to unforeseen circumstances, this is going to be our last song!” There was a ripple of disagreement from the crowd, but she easily took back control of the room. “Don’t worry! We’ll be back before you know it! Thanks again, and we hope you all enjoy!”

The band started playing out their final song and Yugi closed his eyes, tilting his head to listen carefully. It was nothing like what he'd been expecting; looking at her, he would've assumed Pop was her thing. Usually bars hired bands that played rock or popular 80s/90s music too loud, but this was neither. When the singer came in with her vocals, it was like he was completely transported to a different land.

_“You're an island of a girl,  
Adrift in the world  
With the Rising Tide.  
You know that the coming storm  
Is gonna be a crazy ride.”_

They’re good. _Really good._ A grungy, foreign sound, but upbeat enough to pull you in and make you listen. Not exactly dancing music, though the more drunk few in the crowd certainly tried. He could see why so many people came to see them tonight.

Yugi tapped a hand on his thigh along with the beat and turned around to watch them better as they began their hook, her soft vocals now harmonizing with a male’s in perfect, practiced unison. There was four people in the band from what he can see; the girl from earlier, stage front and pouring herself into her lyrics as she played a violin that was tucked securely under her chin. A boy with long blonde hair, shaggy bangs hanging in his face, strumming a guitar to her left. The drummer was very tall and had long, straight brown hair.

Yugi’s eyes interestingly drifted over to the final member, the one playing the keyboard and providing the accompanying vocals, and he felt his body freeze. He nearly swallowed down his own tongue when he recognized _Atem_ on the stage.

"What the fuck!" Yugi exclaimed, ignoring the curious looks he got from the few people around him.

Atem looked over at his fellow bandmate with a loose smile before turning back to his keys. In the path of his glance, though, was Yugi. Their eyes caught for a spilt-second and there was a sudden, unnatural stutter in the music – too quick for anyone to really notice unless they were paying attention, which Yugi was. Oh, _he was._ Yugi suddenly couldn't seem to focus on anything _but_ Atem standing on stage.

The other band members looked at Atem curiously, having also heard the disruption in the beat, but he doesn't notice them. His mouth was slack and his eyes were wide, gaze locked directly with Yugi's. As much of a _"what are you doing here?"_ kind of look as Yugi's was.

 _Okay,_ Yugi thought to the universe, decidedly throwing back the rest of his drink. There was a warmth spreading from his toes that had absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol. _I’m listening._

* * *

Yugi’s world was made up of sensation. There were lips moving across his neck, hands on his waist, pulling him against a firm body. Nimble fingers dropped low and then pushed up, hiking his shirt with them as they explored the bare skin of his stomach. Hot breath against his cheek, hips pressing in tighter.

“Shut the door,” Yugi mumbled, his own hands pressed against Atem’s back.

“Hm?”

“The door.”

“Right—” There’s a jerk and a soft grunt between them as Atem kicked the door shut. “They’re still at the bar, packing up, so—”

“Uh-huh.” Yugi interrupted disinterestedly, hooking his fingers into the belt loop of Atem’s pants and tugging the other closer again. He wasted no time in kissing down that beautiful, dark throat, feeling the warmth of Atem's skin burning his lips. He pulled at his shirt a little impatiently and Atem got the hint, pulling away long enough to remove it and toss it off to the side.

Yugi ran his hands down Atem’s chest, but he didn’t get to explore nearly as much as he wanted to because the fabric of his own shirt was suddenly obscuring his vision as Atem lifted it up and off of him, and then - and then Atem was _kissing him._

Yugi fell into it, not even ashamed of the noise that left his mouth as he pressed his body up against Atem. He'd thought this before, but his lips were _perfect._ Yugi couldn’t think of any better way to spend his time than this: Atem’s hands in his hair, holding him close, their lips moving with each other like they’ve done it millions of times before. He was so absorbed in the glide of Atem's tongue over his, Yugi didn’t even notice that they were walking toward the bed until he fell back on it. Atem hovered over him, kissing the hollow of his throat.

There was a sudden bang and some shouting from downstairs and he felt Atem freeze.

“Oh, nooo…” He groaned in a petulant way, pressing his face into Yugi’s chest while the other just laughed breathlessly. “Okay, okay – hold on.” He pressed a quick kiss to Yugi’s mouth before saying, “Stay here, stay hot – I’ll be right back.” And then he dashed out of the room and down the stairs. Yugi propped himself up on his elbows and listened carefully.

“Guys, for the love of – shut up!” Atem yelled over the rest of the band.

“There you are!” A man responded, sounding annoyed. “Thanks for leaving us with all the clean up.”

“Why are you shirtless?” The girl - _Mana,_ Yugi realized with a rush of clarity, suddenly understanding why she had smelled familiar - wondered, her voice mischievous.

“Seriously, I need you guys to do me a real, huge solid and not bother me,” Atem pleaded, trying to keep his own voice down. Yugi got the impression that he wasn’t supposed to be hearing this next part: “This guy is so out of my league – I have no idea why he came back here with me. _Please_ don’t ruin this.”

There was a murmur of surprised agreement between them all, and then there was pounding up the stairs as Atem raced back to his room. He quickly shut the door behind him and said, “Okay, I’m sorry – everything is fine.”

 _“Sooo…”_ Yugi started coyly, raising a playful brow, “I’m out of your league, huh?”

Atem’s face darkened.  
“Uh, I think so. Yeah.”

“Interesting.” The obvious, gentle yearning in Atem's gaze had Yugi smiling, opening his arms for the other to slide back into. Together, they fell back into the sea of blankets, neither of them surfacing until the early sunlit hours of morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Glinda :'(
> 
> So Atem's band is heavily inspired by Beats Antique and you all should 100% check them out! The song is _[Rising Tide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42zG6zRdRh8)_ :)


	4. The Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We Need to Talk™

Jou took an early lunch at 11am because his brother never came home.

Last night, Yugi had told him that he was leaving The Place earlier than originally planned, and Jou didn’t think to question it. After all, Yugi _had_ looked completely and totally mentally exhausted when he first got to the bar; it wasn't a surprise in the slightest that he wanted to go home. So Jou just sent him off with a smile and wave and finished his shift at The Place by himself. Then he went home, looking forward to more bitching about relationships with Yugi before hitting the hay, only to find that he wasn’t home. And Yugi still wasn't there by the time Jou went to bed.

So this morning, Jou left the house for work at 7am, as usual.

Yugi still hadn’t come home or replied to any of his texts, which was _unusual._

However, when Jou got to their house this time, Yugi was there. _Good,_ he thought, relief flooding through his whole body as he spotted the car in the driveway. _I don’t have to call the cops._ The relief quickly morphed into curiosity, because what on Earth could have kept him out all night without a call or text? That was behavior Jou could expect from himself, not him.

Upon entering the house, he also realized that it was so still and quiet because Yugi was in bed. His brother, who _always_ woke up at the butt crack of dawn _every morning_ for a short run, was sprawled out in his bed, fast asleep.

 _Very_ unusual.

Jou crept around Yugi’s bed and carefully crawled into it, scooting upward until he was face-level with the other man. Quietly, he pressed his index finger against the tip of Yugi’s nose, who wrinkled his face a little, but kept on sleeping. Jou started tapping his nose insistently, not stopping until Yugi caught his hand and groaned, squinting against the sunlight in displeasure and giving Jou an annoyed pout.

“Oh! You’re awake!”

“You’re an ass.” Yugi replied, voice scratchy.

“Well, now that you’re up, you can tell me where the hell you were last night!” Jou replied, not even trying to keep the anger from his voice (seriously, not even _one text_ to let him know he was still alive?!)

Yugi blinked, confused for a brief moment, but then he suddenly had a very dopey grin spreading his lips. He hid his face into his pillow, giggling. _Giggling!_

“Oh, my God!” Jou cried, sitting up in shock. “Tell me what you did last night or else I’m going to pee on your bed!”

“I, uh…” Yugi emerged from his pillow, smile now shy. “I met this guy…”

“Counter?”

“Yeah.”

“How long?”

“Uh, you mean his dick, or—?"

"No, you freak! The Counter!"

"Like…four months and some change.”

“Whoa, nice.” He couldn’t believe Yugi had actually hooked up with someone with a Counter. The guy must've been something real special to make Yugi break his own rules. Jou wasn't sure if he should be worried about this, or proud. “I told you, the closer it is to D-day, the more willing they are to mess around.”

“Ugh, and he’s so _hot!”_ Yugi complained, actually kicking his feet a little - as if the guy's hotness was a problem. “Like on a level that’s not even fair!”

“Way to go, man!”

“Jou, he kisses like – um…” he was clearly trying to find the right words, fingers idly pressing against his own lips as he relieved some memory. “Oh, I don’t even know! I had such a great night.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Jou said, earnest. “You finally just let yourself have a good time!” He shifted off of the bed and got to his feet. “See? One-night stands. That’s what it’s all about.”

Yugi slowly sat up and chewed on his lip.  
“I don’t know if I would classify it as a one-night stand, though.”

 _Uh, oh._ That got Jou’s attention.  
“Well, you’re not going to see him again, so…”

Yugi’s lips thinned out, pressing together as he anxiously looked away.

 _“Yugi.”_ His voice was much more stern now. “Don’t. Even if your mismatched Counters wasn’t a factor, he’s not going to want a repeat. They never do - _but!”_ He quickly added, seeing the dark shadow passing over Yugi’s face. “It was fun, right?”

Yugi scrunched his nose, taking in a sharp breath.  
“Yeah. So fun.” He rolled out of his bed. “Really fun.”

Jou felt like smashing his head into the wall. Yugi had finally gotten laid – properly, too, if his giddy mood earlier was anything to go by! – and he just had to go and open his big, fat, stupid mouth.

“Do you want to eat animal shaped pancakes?” Yugi asked as he left the room, breaking into Jou’s pity-party.

“Uhhh, when do I ever _not_ want animal pancakes?” Jou replied patently, following him.

* * *

"So," Jou's boss began, staring down the line of his nose at him indignantly, "where were you about an hour ago?"

Jou flipped the page of the magazine he was currently pursuing, untroubled.  
"Right here, doing my job," he commented, blowing a bubble with his gum. "A smile on my face."

"I see. Then maybe you could explain to me why I had a call roll to voicemail three times in a row?"

Jou looked up at the doctor, irritated.  
"Get to your point, please."

"My point is that I'm not paying you to ignore calls or leave your desk unattended."

Before Jou could retort, another voice cut in with a timid, "Um, excuse me?" and Anzu stepped up behind the doctor. Her face was a mask of such apologetic grace, Jou was surprised that there weren't wings sprouting from her back. "Sorry to interrupt," she continued (actually sounding sorry, too. A good actress) before either of the men could reply, "but it's my fault he wasn't at his desk."

Jou's mouth went slack in surprise. Was she…was she _covering_ for him?

"When I came in, I couldn't remember where my grandpa's room was, so I asked if he could show me the way so I wouldn't get lost."

"Really now?" The doctor replied, tone laced with heavy skepticism.

"Yes, really," Anzu insisted, her chin jutting out just a little as she stood her metaphorical ground.

"And what is your grandpa's name?"

"Mazaki Dutch," she said instantly, leaving no room for doubt that it was an honest answer.

The doctor seemed taken aback by that - having expected a fake name, no doubt.  
"Ah. Well, I…I beg your pardon." And then he left without another word or look to Jou.

 _"Dick."_ Anzu muttered after him, eyes narrowing in distaste before she turned to Jou, a triumphant smile brightening her face.

Jou was stunned and impressed.  
"Why did you do that?"

Anzu's smile fell and Jou, for the second time that day, wanted to slam his head through some plaster.

"Oh, he just seems to get on your case a lot. I think it's unnecessary."

"Oh, no - it's very necessary," he replied, grinning wickedly. "An hour ago I was sucking down a caramel frappuccino because I gave myself an extra 30 minutes on my lunch break."

"Oops! Should I go bring him back so we can tell him the truth? It would certainly make me feel better."

"Nah, let him sweat. He's a jerk, anyway." Jou leaned back in his chair, eyeing her with interest. "Besides, telling him the truth would make me a good influence on you."

"Well, we couldn't possibly have that," she said seriously.

He grinned, a brilliant idea taking form in his head.  
"Hey, have you ever been to The Place?"

* * *

"Night, Yugi!" Miho called through her open window as she pulled out of her parking spot.

"Night!" Yugi called back to her over his shoulder as he locked the game shop's door. He tugged on the handle to double check the latch before turning around; he was ready to get home, eat some leftovers, and zone out in front of his Xbox.

"Hey."

 _"AAAHHH!"_ He yelled, spinning around and smacking the person who'd just slid up behind him. "Mother fucker!"

 _"Ow!_ Ah ha ha, fuck!" Atem rubbed his cheek, torn between amusement and pain. "You just slapped me!" He ended up laughing again, not looking the least bit mad.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Yugi cried, clutching his chest. "What are you doing here?!"

"I wanted to see you," Atem replied simply, still rubbing his cheek.

Yugi's mind hit a wall.  
_"Why?"_ he asked incredulously.

Atem just shrugged and Yugi shook his head, nonplussed. "Get in," he eventually said, gesturing to his car. "We can talk at my place."

Atem got into the car all-too willingly and, when Yugi started it up, he immediately moved the air vents so the cold A/C would blow against his red cheek. "I'm sorry for hitting you," Yugi apologized after seeing that, genuinely feeling bad about it. "I thought I was about to get mugged."

"It's my fault," Atem assured. "I shouldn't have come up behind you like that."

"How about this, you forgive me and I'll forgive you?"

"Sounds good." His eyes were still twinkling with humor.

Yugi smiled back at him and pulled out of the shop's small parking lot, merging onto the deserted roadway. He would have been blind not to notice Atem's eyes still on him, as attentive as a hawk watching its prey - though not nearly as scary. He also would have been a liar if he tried to say that he didn't like it. From the corner of his eye, he could see how the darkening twilight sky cut deep shadows on Atem's face, only accentuating the foreignness of his features, how so very un-Asian the man really was, but no less beautiful for it.

He knows he'd said he didn't want any personal details, but…a little couldn't hurt, right?

"Where are you from, Atem?"

"Egypt. You?"

"Here," he answered, rolling to a stop at a red light. "I'd love to travel, though. Egypt's on my list."

"You should go!" Atem was eager about it. "It's really quite beautiful. Mana and I scaled a pyramid once and watched the sunrise."

"You climbed one of the pyramids?!" Yugi shouted, unable to help it. "That's illegal!"

"Only if you're caught." This comment was paired with a sly wink.

"Oh, my God." Yugi shook his head. "Mid-twenties, a rule-breaker, in a band…you're a total bad boy, aren't you? Should I even be seen with you? Are international undercover cops going to come after me?"

"No." Atem laughed, loud and carefree. He seemed to be in a really humorous mood tonight. "We were like 16-years-old! What teenager doesn't rebel?"

"There's a difference between rebelling against the system and _breaking the law!"_

"Don't worry, that's the only law I've ever broken - wait, no." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I _did_ drink before I was of legal age. So there's two laws, I guess."

"Bad boy," Yugi muttered, making the other chuckle again. "So, you and Mana have known each other for a long time, then?"

"Our whole lives. We grew up together."

"And you guys are…just friends? The whole time?" Yugi tried his best to sound very uncaring, he really did.

There was a long beat of silence, then Atem was tipping his head back and roaring with laughter. Yugi cringed in his set, wishing he'd never said a thing.

"Yugi - heavens, no! Never! She's like my sister!" He managed to say, a hand coming up to wipe under his eyes for any tears. "Even if she wasn't, there's still absolutely no chance! None whatsoever. I can't believe you haven't realized—" more uncontrollable gasping _"—I'm gay!"_

 _Oh._ Okay. Yugi had kind of thought he was, but it was rude to assume, wasn't it? He was feeling _too_ relieved at the news though, he knew he was. He tightened his grip around the steering wheel, frowning out at the road. He _shouldn't_ be feeling relieved at all. It shouldn't matter to him one bit if Atem was straight or gay, or even if he liked someone else. They shouldn't be sharing any personal details with each other. It was supposed to be a one-time deal and that's all - hit it and quit it, a smash and pass - yet here they were, sharing stories and chatting and making each other laugh, and—

 _I think we should be friends._ That had been what Atem said.

And, well…why _couldn't_ they be friends? Amazing sex aside, they did connect with each other very well, Yugi reasoned. They had plenty in common, despite being from such different backgrounds. Who was to say they couldn't remain friendly, even after Atem met his soulmate? Surely they were both adult enough to manage that. Yugi bit his lip thoughtfully, debating.

Was friendship still something Atem wanted?

"And, uh, your band," he started out carefully, testing the waters, "are all of you from Egypt?"

"Oh, yeah." Atem nodded. "Mahad - our drummer - is Mana's older brother, so I've known him all my life, too. Don't worry," he quickly added with a wild smirk, "there's no chance between me and him, either." Yugi just rolled his eyes. "The one you saw playing guitar was Marik, he's been with us for a few years now. His older sister manages our band since none of us know what we're doing. We originally started playing for fun, and then we met Marik and then it just kind of became a bigger thing. Now people actually recognize us sometimes and it's cool, but weird."

"I think you all deserve to be noticed," Yugi said, pulling into his driveway and turning off the car. "You guys were different - in a really good way!" He added, seeing Atem's expression. "I promise, different is a good thing! Mana has an unbelievable voice."

"Speaking of Mana," Atem began, shifting his body in the seat so he was facing Yugi fully. "What you did for her at The Place; thank you." The words were soft and heart-breakingly sincere, but they sounded loud in the now still car.

Yugi squirmed in embarrassment.  
"Oh…you know that was me?"

"She recognized you when you left this morning. She told me."

Yugi told him the same thing he'd said to Mana:  
"Anyone else would've done the same."

"It's admirable that you think that, but no." Atem listed his head slightly to the side, looking at him with a deep regard. "You're something special, Yugi."

Yugi felt breathless, like all the air had been squeezed right out of his lungs. Because it - that's - that wasn't something you normally said! To a friend! The words were spoken in a gentle kind of reverence, said like they were a fact - like it was known, but he couldn't help but say it anyway. Atem stared at him, something soft and fond in the depths of his eyes that made butterflies cause havoc in Yugi's stomach. There was something about Atem that made him feel very unnerved and comforted, all at once, but he didn't know what it was or how to make it stop.

He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, up in his ears, in the air between them - pulsating through his entire soul. He was so taken by Atem's intense stare, his unknowingly powerful words, that Yugi didn't even notice the distance between them closing, but they were suddenly so, so close.

Their eyes locked and he couldn't look away, wasn't fully sure he even wanted to. Nothing else in the word even existed as his vision tunneled in on Atem's face; his dark skin, his wild black hair, golden bangs stuck to his temples with sweat from the summer heat. His curved nose, his ridiculously perfect lips… Yugi didn't even realize he was staring at them until his eyes darted back up, and his heart stopped right in his chest when Atem's gaze flickered down to his.

Then Atem was inhaling and leaning forward, and Yugi felt electricity spark through the small space between them when their noses brushed, and…and - they had to stop. This couldn't keep happening - not if they were going to remain friends.

 _"O-okay!_ Inside we go!" And - _fuck_ \- he knows it's loud, knows it's abrupt, but his thoughts were way too deep and emotional for what this was. What it had to stay. They couldn't be anything more than friends. He couldn't go around kissing Atem whenever he had the whim to, because it would never stop. If he didn't draw the line now, it would only be harder for them both down the road.

He shoved at his door and fell backward out of the car, not daring to look back and see whatever expression Atem had. He jogged up the path to his front door, fiddling with the keys in his hand nervously. He heard Atem get out of the car and follow behind him and it took a couple tries to get the door unlocked, his hand was trembling so much, but he finally got the latch open and was quickly stepping inside, taking off his shoes and shoving them into a corner of the entry way.

"My brother isn't here right now," he said, desperately trying to keep his tone casual, like he _hadn't_ almost made out with Atem in his car.

Atem wandered into the living room, gently running his fingers over a few photo frames that were propped up on a bookshelf.  
"You two live together?" He asked, now inspecting a glass paperweight that they had absolutely no use for - Jou only bought it because he'd thought it looked cool.

"Yeah. Splitting bills really makes the cost of living easier to swallow."

Atem was inspecting another picture, lifting it up and holding it close to his eyes.  
"Ah, yeah. I know him," he nodded. "The bartender. He gives us our first round for free when we play."

"Yup, that's him. He's my best friend."

Atem's eyes left the photo and stared at Yugi instead.  
"This may be rude, but you two don't look alike."

"We're step-brothers." Yugi walked over and pointed at the older woman in the photo. "His mom divorced his dad due to some - ah - _personality_ issues. She ended up getting a Counter and, well…that's how she met my dad. They've been married for almost 13 years."

"And your mom?"

"Died giving birth to me," he said softly. "Dad was really lonely afterward. He got his Counter when I was five, I think. It was blank until Jou's mom got hers…and the rest is history."

"Another happily ever after, perfectly executed." Atem said, a bit of a hard edge to his voice. Before Yugi could question it, he was pointing at the teenager in the photo who was hanging off of Jou's back. "And this is your sister?"

"Shizuka. Blood-related to Jou and I. She was born shortly after the wedding."

"I see."

"So, now that our family trees have been established," Yugi said, taking the photo and setting it back on the shelf, "I have a question for you."

"Go for it."

"How many times are we going to do this?" He turned to look at him.

Atem stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave a loose shrug.  
"As many times as you want to. For as long as you let me stay."

"You say that as if we have forever."

"We could." He shrugged again.

"No, we can't." Yugi sighed and sat back on the arm of the couch, frowning. "Sure, right now it seems like we have all the time in the world, but one day your Counter is going to zero out, and hopefully mine will start counting. We can't just…stay like this."

"You say that as if we even have a label," Atem scoffed, looking genuinely annoyed for the first time. "I have to admit: I don't get you. I offer a fun night with no strings attached and you refuse. I offer friendship and you refuse. Then we do have sex and you start talking like we're friends, but then you quickly run away again. And now you're asking me what we are, as if I'm the one running you around - but I've been clear on what I wanted from the very beginning."

Atem rubbed his knuckles against his forehead in agitation and Yugi stared down at the ground, abashed.  
"What do you want me to say, Yugi? I really don't know what you want from me. Do you want me as a hook-up, or do you want me as a friend?"

"I don't know," Yugi admitted, quiet. "I like you, I want to be friends with you - but I liked having sex with you, too. I don't know how to be your friend because I'm so ridiculously attracted to you - and we can't have, like, _a relationship_ because—" he lifted the sleeve of his shirt away from his Counter, showing the obvious "—yeah."

"Yeah." Atem agreed, voice distant.

"I'll be completely honest with you; I have only slept with maybe four other people in my whole life, including you. Each time, I've had to face the real possibility of losing them - but with you, it's not just a possibility, it's a _certainty."_

Just like the time in the shop, there was something Atem clearly wanted to say. It was there on the tip of his tongue, his mouth already opening, eyes determined - but then, like before, he stopped. Swallowed it back. Sighed instead, folded his arms, and muttered, "Well, that certainly does put a damper on our dynamic."

"So where do we go from here?"

"Well, a guy has to stay proactive, right?" Atem asked. "Maybe we can just…take it day by day?"

Yugi chuckled, he couldn't help it. "Sure. I guess I can't just sit around all day, feeling sorry for myself and my situation."

"I don't know if your situation is quite as shitty as your brothers. I've seen his numbers."

"I guess," Yugi frowned. He already knew it wasn't fair for him to complain about his own Counter when Jou had such a long wait ahead of him, but he couldn't do anything about that. His brother's problems didn't make Yugi's any less real. "He has to work through it in his own way, but one could argue that knowing is better than not knowing…even if knowing is tremendously disappointing. At least he can live his life and prepare for what he knows is coming."

"And is that what he's doing?"

Yugi laughed.  
"Not at all."

Atem gave him a timid smile.  
"I personally feel not knowing is better. We need mystery in life."

"If that's really how you feel, why did you get a Counter?" He was very curious about that. Atem had made off-handed, snide comments about the Counter plenty of times before. If he disagreed with it so much, why did he even bother getting one?

Atem was silent for a long moment, debating his answer.  
"…Some people lead, and I followed," he finally said.

So that was that.

"So, in simple terms…" Yugi picked his words very carefully, "We're friends with benefits? Until the day when we can only be friends?"

The energy between them shifted as Atem unfolded his arms and stepped closer, and Yugi looked up, eyes searching. There were warm fingers against his face, tracing down the line of his jaw, then both of Atem's hands were framing his face, cupping his cheeks gently.

"I think we can manage that," he said, tilting his face down, voice warm and liquid. "If you're sure."

To be honest, Yugi wasn't really sure about anything anymore. Everything felt so _unsure_ now. But he knew that having Atem in his life wasn't something he wanted to give up. Not easily. Maybe things would always be weird between them - but they could be friends. He was set on that. After all, after their soulmates got involved, the electrified attraction between them would die off. It would have to.

But that was something for Future Yugi to figure out. Right now, Atem was standing in front of him, so impossibly beautiful, and that was enough. He was a perfect picture of temptation, everything Yugi shouldn't want, but did. And in that moment, Yugi couldn't imagine ever wanting anything else.

"Yeah…" he murmured, and the hand running over the back of his neck and pulling him in was unnecessary, because he was already moving his face up so his lips could meet Atem's.


End file.
